Lawrence High’s Link Crew welcomed the incoming class of 2028. This tradition has been a staple at the start of each year for freshmen to see what high school has in store for them.
Lydia Knox, a freshman, went into her orientation with some doubt about Link, but was pleasantly surprised by the slate of activities upon arrival
“My sibling said it was just a bunch of kids sitting in a room,” Knox said. “We played games and actually talked to each other which was nice.”
Some didn’t know what to expect, but the few who did often left with a different outlook on freshmen orientation. The themes that each group had were a standout experience to freshmen.
“Our theme was tropical. I got a lei, sunglasses, and there were bubbles.” Knox said. “The bubble machine was probably the highlight of my day.”
Link leaders like senior Adele Erickson also had a blast with the themes.
“My group theme was art,” Erickson said. “Me and my partner were the ‘artists’,I dressed up as Bob Ross, and our link members were our ‘palette’ so we gave them bright shirts.”
The final pieces of the Link puzzle are the Link coordinators, who welcomed a new member this year. Following former science teacher Lydia Reimers’ retirement, social worker and track coach Audrey Trowbridge stepped in.
“I remember coming to an assembly here. It was the first day of school Link assembly and the kids were just so into it,” Trowbridge said. “The environment was just really fun so it was something like, ‘oh, I want to do that when I get a chance to.’”
Trowbridge got her opportunity to do that this year, after eagerly requesting to become apart of the Link family.
“It was really fun to see the behind-the-scenes of training the Link leaders and then watching them be us,” Trowbridge said.”It’s fun to also see sometimes when you guys are doing our jobs, sometimes you do it better than us, but other times it’s for you to see it’s not as easy as you think.”
All in all, this years link crew was considered a success.
“The Link leaders show the kids it’s okay to laugh at yourself and be silly and wear a silly costume,” Trowbridge said. “You know how it’s so important to be cool? You guys kind of took that away and allowed kids to just enjoy being here.”
